With an economy that has been losing steam and marked by widespread layoffs, it would seem that people would not have much use for advice on how to turn down a job offer.
So, if you are fortunate enough to be able to turn down a job offer, you also need to realize that you must to do it carefully and politely.
You need to think ahead about what you will say. You want to maintain your reputation, and you want to let the employer down easily, without any bruised egos.
To do this, make sure your response contains a polite thank you, a reasoned explanation for why you cannot take the job, and an offer to stay in touch.
The first priority when you decline the offer is to make a sincere gesture of thanks to the person who made the offer. Let the hiring manager know that you are truly thankful and how much you admire the person and the company. Let the hiring manager know that you thought long and hard about the offer. Don’t ever give the impression that you are too good for the job or the company.
The most difficult part of the response is giving your explanation of why you turned down the offer. There are many good reasons why you might turn down a job, and you need to provide your reasons in a tactful way.
Location and family considerations may be a reason for turning down a job. In that case, you would let the hiring manager know that family obligations prevent you from taking the job, or that you cannot make a move at the present time.
It is also perfectly appropriate to tell the hiring manager that you cannot take the job because it does not pay enough. You would say something to the effect that you would have liked to be able to make it work, but that you need to be at a higher pay grade. If you believe you may not have the skills that are required to do a good job, you would let the hiring manager know that.
Once you have given a well-thought out reason for declining, thank the hiring manager again and offer to keep in touch. Let him or her know you would like to be informed of any new openings. You never know – there might be an opening in the future that you would want to take.
Whether you’re looking for work in environmental engineering, bookkeeping, the mortgage and lending industries, in manual machining or in many other industries in Chicago, Seattle, Anchorage, Portland and other Northwest cities, the Opti Staffing Group has many temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire assignments waiting for you. Contact a recruiter today.